Marina Bazzi
Marina Bazzi (Oakland County Jail photo)
Marina Bazzi, 26, of Macomb Township faces criminal charges in a scheme that allegedly involved soliciting men on adult websites for illegal activities and then blackmailing them for thousands of dollars, the Macomb Daily reports.
Two of the alleged victims are Berkley residents, authorities said.
The Macomb County Sheriff's Department, in conjunction with Berkley Police, executed a search warrant and arrested Bazzi Tuesday at her Macomb Township home.
Berkley Police said, according to the Macomb Daily, that an investigation from April to October last year led to charges against Bazzi for allegedly using numerous adult websites to solicit illegal services and extort victims, demanding money through online payment platforms.
She has multiple outstanding warrants related to similar alleged crimes in Metro Detroit, Aileen Wingblad of the Macomb Daily reports.
A Wayne County man, who spoke on condition of anonymity, told Deadline Detroit that in 2021 Bazzi tried to extort him through a relative, threatening to report to authorities that she had been raped and assaulted unless the relative paid her more than $1,500 to stay quiet.
He said she was persistent, making multiple attempts to pressure the relative into paying.
The man, who said he met Bazzi through a friend, reassured the relative that nothing had happened, and no money was paid.
Bazzi faces misdemeanor and felony charges, including extortion, harassment, stalking and using a computer to commit a crime.
She was arraigned Thursday in 44th District Court in Royal Oak and, as of early Friday morning, was being held in the Oakland County Jail, according to jail records.
Authorities are urging anyone who may have been a victim to contact their local law enforcement agency.
